Cap-securing means



May 17, 1949.

\ W/ 5 IS IN HAR EEEEEEEEE R Patented May 17, 1949 CAP-SECURING MEANS Harry Dewey Weaver, Lancaster, Pa., assignor to Hamilton Watch Company, Lancaster, Pa.

Application February 28, 1945, Serial No. 580,236

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a closure for a spining basket and applies specifically to the means for retaining the closure on the basket.

At the present time baskets used in the watch industry for cleaning of small parts are secured to the motor shaft through the cover which is secured to the basket proper through a bayonet slot arrangement. This bayonet .slot arrangement between the cover and the basket becomes a loose fit after a period of use and after the motor is shut off the momentum of the basket spins the basket loose from the cover and spills th contents. It is the purpose of this invention to overcome this difiiculty by providing a new means of fastening the closure to the basket.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a cap for a basket which cap is adapted to be held stationary and the basket applied to said cap.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cap which will receive and retain a basket in a single unidirectional movement of the basket.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a cap having a latch mechanism which securely holds the basket to the cap which latch mechanism is semi-automatic in character.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a cap having a latching means which may be opera-ted with one hand.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a cap adapted to receiv a pair of notched upright posts carried by a basket and to retain said basket in position by latches engaging said post.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein described may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the basket and cap.

Fig. 2 is a detail in section of the latch and post.

Fig. 3 is an assembled view of the spinning basket together with a motor used to drive it.

Referring to Fig. 3, a motor I having an extended drive shaft 2 is threaded at 3 into hub 4 of a cap 5 adapted to receive a spinning basket 6. It is customary with apparatus of this type to hold the entire mechanism in the hand by means of a handle I attached to the motor I and to dip the spinning basket consecutively into a series of jars filled with cleaning solutions. The basket carries the small parts to be cleaned and is designed so that rotation in the cleaning solution causes the cleaning solution to pass in and out of slots 8 formed in the basket but which form no part of this present invention.

The cap 5 is formed with ports 9 which serve as a similar function to the slots 8 of the basket. A pair of latches l0 pivotally mounted at H are supported on the upper surface of cap 5 and are urged outward by a spring l2 secured about the hub 4 and retained by pins l3.

A pair of posts I4 extending upward from the basket 6 project through holes I5 in the cap 5. The posts are notched at It and have a beveled upper surface I! which engages the edge l8 of the latch members l0, forcing the latch member into latching position by an upward thrust of the basket 6. Guides l9 engage the free ends of the latching members It! and serve to maintain the latching members in the plane of the surface of the cap 5.

The operation of the cap is, of course, obvious, the basket being moved into cap closing position by thrusting the posts l4 into the holes IS, the surfaces ll engaging the surfaces E8 of the latching member forcing the latches backward against the action of the springs l2, the notches [6 permitting outward movement of the latches [0 to notch engaging position. In this position the basket is definitely locked to the cap, release being obtained by pressure of the thumbs inward on the upstanding parts 20 of the latches, the basket dropping to the table or held by the fingers of the same hand moving the latches, the movement of the basket being just sufficient to drop the posts passed the latching position.

The upstanding parts 20 of the latches are made solid to provide additional weight on the free end of the latch so that the centrifugal force developed by the whirling basket tends to hold the latch in engaged position, thus serving as a. safeguard against spring breakage or any possible chance of the basket becoming detached from the cover.

It has been proved that this invention is extremely practicaI where the basket is in use a great deal. The continued use of the basket permits the bayonet slot method of closing to become loose and a subsequent disengagement when not desired, spills the contents of the basket. The present invention entirely eliminates any undesired separation of the cap and the basket.

What is claimed is:

A cap for a cylindrical container and formed with a pair of diametrically opposite holes adjacent the rim thereof, an upstanding hub integral with said cap threaded to receive a shaft adapted to be rotated at high speeds, a pair of latches pivoted substantially at the rim of said cap and in close proximity to said holes, a pair of notched upstanding pins on the rim of said container adapted to be received and project through said holes, a notch engaging edge on said latch for errgaging the notched pins to hold the container attached to said cap, a pair of. finger grips on said latches beyond said upstanding pins, said latches terminating in short flat sections beyondl saidfinger grips, guide members integral with said cap engaging and housing the free end of said latches to insure movement of said latches in a plane parallel to the top of said cap, and means for normally holding said latches in engagement with said upstanding notch pins.

HARRY DEWEY WEAVER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,051,420 Lady Jan. 28, 1913 1,133,254 Backus Mar. 30, 1915 1,892,743 Wenge'r Jan. 3, 1933 1,986,143 Glab Jan. 1, 1935 2,377,725 Smith June 5, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 41,6011 German-y Dec..9-, 1-887 

